Browser based web site generation tool and run time engine

Abstract

A method and apparatus for designing and building a web page. The apparatus includes a browser based build engine including build tools and a user interface. The build tools are operable to construct a single run time file and an associated database that describe, and when executed, produce the web page. The user interface includes a build frame and a panel. The build frame is operable to receive user input and present a WYSIWIG representation of the web page. The panel includes one or more menus for controlling the form of content to be placed on the web page.

I claim:  
     
       1. A method to allow users to produce Internet websites on and for computers having a browser and a virtual machine capable of generating displays, said method comprising: 
       (a) presenting a viewable menu having a user selectable panel of settings describing elements on a website, said panel of settings being presented through a browser on a computer adapted to accept one or more of said selectable settings in said panel as inputs therefrom, and where at least one of said user selectable settings in said panel corresponds to commands to said virtual machine;  
       (b) generating a display in accordance with one or more user selected settings substantially contemporaneously with the selection thereof;  
       (c) storing information representative of said one or more user selected settings in a database;  
       (d) generating a website at least in part by retrieving said information representative of said one or more user selected settings stored in said database; and  
       (e) building one or more web pages to generate said website from at least a portion of said database and at least one run time file, where said at least one run time file utilizes information stored in said database to generate virtual machine commands for the display of at least a portion of said one or more web pages.  
     
     
       2. An apparatus for producing Internet websites on and for computers having a browser and a virtual machine capable of generating displays, said apparatus comprising: 
       (a) an interface to present a viewable menu of a user selectable panel of settings to describe elements on a website, said panel of settings being presented through a browser on a computer adapted to accept one or more of said selectable settings in said panel as inputs therefrom, and where at least one of said user selectable settings in said panel corresponds to commands to said virtual machine;  
       (b) a browser to generate a display in accordance with one or more user selected settings substantially contemporaneously with the selection thereof;  
       (c) a database for storing information representative of said one or more user selected settings; and  
       (d) a build tool having at least one run time file for generating one or more web pages, said run time file operating to utilize information stored in said database to generate commands to said virtual machine for generating the display of at least a portion of said one or more web pages.  
     
     
       3. The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein said database is a multi-dimensional array structured database. 
     
     
       4. The apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein said representative information is Boolean data, numeric data, string data or multi-dimensional arrays of various multimedia objects. 
     
     
       5. The apparatus of  claim 4 , wherein said elements include multimedia objects selected from the group consisting of a color, a font, an image, an audio clip, a video clip, a text area and a URL. 
     
     
       6. The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein said elements are selected from the group consisting of a button, an image, a paragraph, a frame, a table, a form and a vector object. 
     
     
       7. The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein said one or more web pages of a website is two or more web pages of a website, wherein said elements include web pages, and wherein said description of elements is a transition or an animation between two of said two or more web pages. 
     
     
       8. The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein said elements include one or more objects on a web page, and wherein said description of elements are a transition or an animation of at least one of said elements on a web page. 
     
     
       9. The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein said elements include a button or an images, wherein said selectable settings includes the selection of an element style, and wherein said build engine includes means for storing information representative of selected style in said database. 
     
     
       10. The apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein said elements are described by multiple object states. 
     
     
       11. The apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein said elements are described by a transformation or a timelines of said selected styles. 
     
     
       12. The apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein at least one of said elements is a child element, and wherein said element style is a child element style. 
     
     
       13. The apparatus of  claim 12 , wherein at least one of said element is described by timelines of said child elements. 
     
     
       14. The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein said elements include buttons or images, wherein said description of elements is a transition or a timeline which is selected according to input from a mouse, and wherein said build engine includes means for storing information representative of said selected description of elements in said database. 
     
     
       15. The apparatus of  claim 14 , wherein at least one of said description of elements is a timeline or an animation. 
     
     
       16. The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein said elements include one or more objects on two or more web page, wherein at least one of said description of elements is a transition or a timeline, and wherein said build engine includes means to synchronize said description of said one or more objects on one web page between said two or more web pages. 
     
     
       17. The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein one or more of said elements is a button or an image, wherein said description of elements is a transition, an animation or a timeline, and wherein said build engine includes means to synchronize said description of said one or more elements. 
     
     
       18. The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein at least one of said elements is an object elements selected from the group consisting of a button and an image, and web pages as elements of a website, wherein said description of said object elements is a transition, an animation or a timeline, wherein said description of said web pages is a transition or a timeline, and wherein said build engine includes means to synchronize said description of said object elements and said description of said web pages. 
     
     
       19. The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein said elements include an object and a child object, wherein said description of said elements is a timeline or an animation, and wherein said build engine activates said description of said elements according to input from a mouse. 
     
     
       20. The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein at least one of said elements is a child button or a child object, wherein said description of said elements is a timeline, a transition or an animation, and wherein said build engine includes means for defining said description of said element. 
     
     
       21. The apparatus of  claim 17 , wherein said elements further includes at least two child object elements, and said means to synchronize includes means for synchronizing said description of at least two of said at least two child object elements. 
     
     
       22. The apparatus of  claim 18 , wherein said elements further includes a child object element, and said means to synchronize includes means for synchronizing said description of said child elements. 
     
     
       23. The apparatus of  claim 19 , wherein said description of elements is a transition or a timeline which is selected according to input from a mouse, and wherein said build engine includes means for storing information representative of said selected description in said database. 
     
     
       24. The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein said run time files include one compressed website specific, customized run time engine program file and one compressed website specific, customized run time engine library file. 
     
     
       25. The apparatus of  claim 24 , wherein said run time files include a dynamic web page scaling mechanism, whereby each of said one or more generated web pages is scaled for viewing on said display. 
     
     
       26. The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein said run time files includes one compressed website specific, customized run time engine program file and one compressed website specific, customized run time engine library file, wherein said run time files include a dynamic web page scaling mechanism, and wherein the build engine generates an HTML shell file for each set of one or more run time files which instructs said browser to display a background in said browser window identical to that which the run time engine will draw, invokes said dynamic web page scaling mechanism, and invokes said run time engine. 
     
     
       27. The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein said run time files include a multi-level program animation model that presents multiple user interactions and time sensitive operations simultaneously. 
     
     
       28. The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein at least one of said elements includes individual ones of multiple audio tracks, and wherein said build engine includes means for associating at least one of said individual audio tracks with a web page or an object on a web page and means for synchronizing multiple audio tracks. 
     
     
       29. The apparatus of  claim 2 , further including file size reduction means for reducing the total size of said run time files to less than approximately 50K and for reducing the total size of said the run time file of the first web page of said website to less than 25K. 
     
     
       30. The apparatus of  claim 29 , wherein said total size of said run time files is from approximately 12K to approximately 50K. 
     
     
       31. The apparatus of  claim 29 , wherein said elements include a web page, an object, a paragraph, or combinations thereof, and wherein said file size reduction means includes means for tracking multiple high water marks for said elements to minimize the size of said at least a portion of said database generated by said build tool. 
     
     
       32. The apparatus of  claim 29 , wherein said file size reduction means includes means for identify website specific run time files. 
     
     
       33. The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein said website has a first web page, wherein said run time files includes a main run time file and main database information corresponding to said first web page, and further includes a run time routine for simultaneously obtaining from the Internet and displaying said first web page and processing said database corresponding to others of said web pages. 
     
     
       34. The apparatus of  claim 33 , wherein at least one of said elements includes one or more images, and wherein the run time files includes an image observer operable to permit said one or more images of said website to be downloaded simultaneously with the execution of said run time files. 
     
     
       35. The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein the build engine includes dynamic resizing means operable to redefine a size of a web page upon being display. 
     
     
       36. The apparatus of  claim 35 , wherein the dynamic resizing apparatus can be invoked in real time during the build process when a new web site file is opened, when the web page size of the existing web site is changed, or when the web page is zoomed to a different size. 
     
     
       37. An apparatus for producing Internet websites having one or more web pages on and for a computer having a browser and a virtual machine capable of generating a display, said apparatus comprising: 
       (a) an interface configured for building a website through control of website elements, said interface being operable through the browser on the computer to:  
       present a viewable menu of a user selectable panel of settings, accept a plurality of settings from said user selectable panel of settings to form an assembly of settings, and  
       generate the display in accordance with said assembly of settings contemporaneously with the acceptance thereof, at least one of said user selectable settings of said panel of settings being operable to generate said display through commands to said virtual machine;  
       (b) an internal database associated with said interface for storing information representative of one or more of said assembly of settings for controlling elements of the website; and  
       (c) a build tool to construct one or more web pages of said website having:  
       an external database containing data corresponding to said information stored in said internal database, and  
       one or more run time files,  
       where said run time files utilize information stored in said external database to generate virtual machine commands for the display of at least a portion of said one or more web pages. 
     
     
       38. The apparatus of  claim 37 , wherein said user selectable panel of settings arc selected from the group consisting of construction, manipulation, animation and transition of elements. 
     
     
       39. An apparatus to allow users to produce Internet websites on and for computers having a browser and a virtual machine capable of generating displays, said apparatus comprising: 
       (a) means for presenting a viewable menu of a user selectable panel of settings to describe elements on a website, said panel of settings being presented through a browser on a computer adapted to accept one or more of said selectable settings in said panel as inputs therefrom, and where at least one of said user selectable settings in said panel corresponds to commands to said virtual machine;  
       (b) means for generating a display in accordance with one or more user selected settings substantially contemporaneously with the selection thereof;  
       (c) means for storing information in a database, said information being representative of a plurality of said one or more user selected settings; and  
       (d) means for building one or more web pages for generating said website from at least a portion of said database and at least one run time file, where said at least one run time file utilizes information stored in said database to generate virtual machine commands for the display of at least a portion of said one or more web pages.